On Thin Ice
by Silver Hyacinth
Summary: After an ankle injury during the Grand Prix Final causes him to lose after four consecutive years of taking home the gold, figure skater Kageyama Tobio announces that he's ending his career for good. But when he meets a fiery, enthusiastic boy at his local ice rink, he finds himself contemplating making a comeback. — Ice Skating AU. Kagehina.
1. Prologue

**A/N:** Obsessed with both Haikyuu! and figure skating recently so this happened... Kinda YOI but not really. Basically my own skating headcanon and yeah. Hope you guys like it ^-^

* * *

 **❄ Prologue ❄**

* * *

"Our next skater is four-time returning champion, Kageyama Tobio! For his free program, he'll be skating to Rachmaninoff's Prelude, Opus Twenty-three, Number Five in G minor."

Cheers went up as Kageyama stepped onto the ice and skated to the center. His heart was beating in his ears, and the familiar nerves of competition filled him, even though he'd competed for more than four years. His skates hugged his toes, the familiar ache loosening the growing knot in his stomach slightly. It was the last event. His last performance. This would decide whether he took home his fifth gold medal or not. Everything was riding on this one performance.

From the sidelines, he could see his coach standing there, looking at him with an encouraging smile, and up in the stands sat his competitors, watching him with looks ranging from excitement to resentment. No doubt they wanted to dethrone the proclaimed 'King of the Ice' and take home the gold for themselves. Oikawa Tōru, in particular, was watching Kageyama was a predatory smile that made a drop of sweat run down his forehead.

 _Stop. There's nothing to worry about,_ he told himself, closing his eyes and focusing on his breath. _Your performances have been flawless so far. You can do this._ Letting out a deep exhalation, he opened his eyes, which were once again calm, and raised his left arm, taking his beginning position. As the music began to play, he pushed off, spinning in a tight circle with his back parallel to the ice, one arm over his chest and the other trailing against the cold surface below before straightening into a gliding position.

" _Beautiful_ cantilever, and a smooth transition into a bracket turn. Here comes his first jump, a triple salchow."

Using his knees, Kageyama launched himself up and landed on the back outside edge of his left skate, the familiar rush that came with jumps sending his blood rushing through his ears. " _Flawless_ jump, with an arm raised for added points. Now into a lovely spread eagle."

 _Here comes the next jump. Take off... now._ He jumped up, spun, and landed safely, earning a deafening roar of applause. "He's landed his first quad. He has six planned for the program. Now into a flying sit spin. Amazing speed and control. Here comes his second quad."

Spinning out into a standing position, Kageyama branched off into a rocker turn and prepared for his next jump. As he spun once, he caught sight of Oikawa's still-smiling face, staring at him from the crowd. A jolt went through him, and he hesitated for a split second. _Don't let him get to you. Jump. You're going to miss the mark! Jump!_

He was in the air before he knew it, rotating once, twice, three times. One more and he would land. One more and he could forget about Oikawa and finish his program. _One more._ The rotation completed; he was heading back to the ground. But as Kageyama's foot hit the ice, it buckled underneath him and with the sound of a stick snapping, the back of his head hit the ice and the world went black to the dying sound of frenzied cheering.

* * *

"In recent news, four-time World Championship gold medalist Kageyama Tobio took a bad fall during his last free skate of the Grand Prix Final, resulting in a severe ankle break that cost him what could've been his consecutive fifth victory. He's currently staying at a local hospital in Barcelona, and we await further news on his recovery.

"In his place, fellow gold medalist Oikawa Tōru took first, while Kenma Kozume took second, and Tsukishima Kei took third. Oikawa says he wishes for skater Kageyama to make a full recovery and return to battle and attempt to win back his title in next year's Grand—"

"Turn that off already, would you?" Kageyama's harsh voice startled his coach, Daichi, who clicked off the television and turned to him from his spot in the chair beside his bed. "Ah, Tobio, I didn't know you were awake. How are you feeling?"

Kageyama crossed his arms and turned to stare at the door with a scowl. "I messed up a jump I've never had problems landing before, resulting in a severe injury and a loss in a skating competition I've successfully won four years in a row, giving first place to my long-time rival, which I'm just now hearing about on a news station," he said dryly. "How do you _think_ I'm feeling?"

His injury didn't hurt nearly as much as the blow to his pride hearing that Oikawa had won in his place. Kageyama prided himself on his ability to win, and now that that had been taken from him... he felt empty. Not angry or sad; just _empty_. The injury to his ankle wasn't one that would heal quickly, and it would no doubt take him months to rehabilitate it enough to get back on the ice. Was he really expected to cope with that?

He had worked hard all his life to get to the point he was now, and it had all been smashed to pieces by a single misplaced landing. His talent would remain, but after the months of bedrest the ankle would no doubt demand, his body would be in the worst shape it had ever been in. He'd have to work like a dog just to get back into the shape he was in now. Was it worth it?

"Haha, you've got a point." Daichi laughed and scratched at his neck sheepishly. "But I talked to the doctors, and they said your injury isn't as bad as they thought. You should be able to get back to skating with just two months of rest and a bit of physical therapy. Isn't that great?"

Kageyama didn't look at him, annoyed by the hope in his voice. He wasn't sure about anything at the moment. Maybe this was a sign. Maybe he wasn't meant to go back to skating. Maybe life wanted him to choose another path. There were a lot of 'maybe's. He was so conflicted, it almost hurt, like a twisted feeling deep in his chest.

"Daichi..." He paused, feeling his stomach churn as if he were going to be sick. "I'm not sure..."

"Not sure about what?" Daichi asked, still smiling, still looking optimistic. "If you're worried about the recovery process, I've already taken care of everything. I scheduled your physical therapy sessions, and I called your parents and booked you a flight home on your hospital release date. Everything's settled."

"Daichi," Kageyama said again, and there must've been something in his voice that conveyed how he was feeling, because Daichi's smile faded and he stared at Kageyama seriously and somberly for the first time. "What is it? Don't tell me you're letting Oikawa get to you? He only won because you—"

"That's not it," he cut him off sharply. "I'm not coming back, alright?!" His fists clenched in the fabric of his sheets as Daichi's stunned silence filled the room, taut like a bowstring. "I'm done with skating..." he continued quietly, feeling like a knife was being inserted right between his ribs. Even though he'd made his decision, skating was his life: it wouldn't be that easy to give up.

He forced out the next sentence. "I'm retiring."

"What?!" Daichi half-stood from his chair, face rotating from shock to anger. "Tobio, you can't be serious! What; you missed one jump and now you're ready to quit for good? This isn't like you at all!" He grabbed Kageyama by the forearms, forcing him to meet his eyes. "Don't give up just because of a little injury! The Kageyama Tobio _I_ know—the one who loves skating with all he's worth—would never do that!"

"I've made my decision," Kageyama answered bitterly, turning away and ignoring the stinging in his eyes. "You're not going to change my mind. You can tell the news channels tomorrow morning."

Daichi stood there, staring at him angrily for several seconds, clenching and unclenching his fists, dark eyes filled with a mix of emotions. Finally, he turned away, the muscles in his back taut as he strode towards the door. "Fine. Have it your way." He paused with his hand on the handle and shot a harsh glance back at him. "But I'm telling you now; I know how this feels, and if you don't get back onto the ice now, you'll regret it for the rest of your life."

With those parting words, he left, slamming the door behind him, causing the flowers on Kageyama's side-table to rustle in their vase, shedding a few colorful petals to the table surface below. He lay back and closed his eyes, trying to ignore the tight feeling in his chest. _I won't change my mind,_ he repeated silently. _I've had my time in the spotlight. This is fate. I'm done with skating._

Even though he thought it with finality, as he tried to drift off to sleep, they filled his head and swirled around and around, pestering him like the buzzing of irritating flies. He could only hope he wouldn't come to regret his decision like Daichi had said.

If he changed his mind in the future, the ice might not be there waiting for him.

* * *

 **A/N:** And that's it for the prologue! Chapter one should be out soon. I just wanted to have a bit of backstory on Kags included before I broke into the main plot of the story, and this does play a major part in that, so pay attention people! Anyway, as always, if you enjoy the story and want more, follow and favorite, and feel free to leave comments, corrections, and suggestions down in the review section~


	2. First Skate

**❄ First Skate ❄**

* * *

 **One Year Later**

* * *

Kageyama stood outside the airport, staring out at the moonlit countryside of Natori; his home. This was his first time back since his injury during the Grand Prix Final the year before. He'd been too ashamed to face his family and his country after his immense failure, and so he'd stayed in Europe for a while with one of his skater friends who lived there, Asahi.

But it was finally time to head home. One whole year later, and he would see his family again. His hands grew shaky around the handles of his bags just thinking about it. What would they say? They probably thought he was a coward; a failure. They wouldn't want anything to do with him. Maybe they could've accepted him back home if he'd come straight back when he was released from the hospital, but instead, he'd stayed away for a year without so much as calling or writing to check up on them. They probably resented him for it. And he honestly couldn't blame them.

What he'd done had been cowardly, but with all of the pressure, he just couldn't bear the thought of how they would take his injury and his announcement that he was retiring from skating. Both of his parents had been skaters in their youth, and were still well-known even in retirement, having broken world records and surmised a pile of gold medals between the both of them in pair skating. Kageyama was sure they wouldn't take the new well, but of course, they'd found out the day Daichi announced it to the news, and had had a year to digest it, so maybe...

"Tobio!"

Kageyama jumped, raising his head to find Daichi standing by his familiar black car in the parking lot, waving at him. When he'd learned of Kageyama's return home, he'd insisted on picking him up, which Kageyama was grateful for considering he still wasn't quite ready to face his parents. He thought the man would've been holding a grudge over the past year for Kageyama suddenly deciding to retire and dropping him as a coach, but he looked as friendly as ever, wearing one of his usual smiles, not a care in the world.

If he was honest, Kageyama was a bit suspicious. But Daichi wasn't really crafty enough to hide anything from anyone, let alone him, so he shook it off and tried to scrape his expression up into a smile to appease his ex-coach and raised a hand to wave at him as he approached. "Hey, Daichi! Nice to see you." He grimaced; the words definitely sounded forced. He'd have to get better at deception if he ever hoped to act normally around his family.

The truth was, the loss of skating had been a really rough thing for him. During the two months of bed-rest and rehabilitation, he'd mostly forgotten about his decision to retire, but after that, when he was jogging in the park to build back up the strength in his ankle, or stopping to get breakfast at a cafe with the thoughts of his waiting family lingering in the back of his mind... he missed it.

He didn't want to second-guess himself, but not skating was like not being able to _speak_ : it felt like an essential part of him had been stripped away, leaving him helpless and drowning in a sea of doubt. But, of course, he had to hide all that from Daichi. If the man saw any hesitation over his decision whatsoever, he would try to convince him to come back again, and Kageyama really wasn't ready for that.

Fortunately, he didn't seem to notice, taking one of Kageyama's bags from him and heading around to the trunk of the car, which he popped. Kageyama stood beside him as they arranged the bags to fit in the small space, and the air between them felt taut despite the friendly atmosphere. Kageyama could tell Daichi wanted to say something and prayed he wouldn't. He was too tired to get into an argument right now.

"If you're worried about me scolding you," Daichi said, closing the trunk and heading around to the driver's side, "I won't. I already said my piece at the hospital that day. If you really don't want to return to skating, I'm not going to make you. It's entirely your decision." As they slid into their seats and Daichi started the car, he shot Kageyama a smile. "But, just to warn you now, your sister is a _bit_ mad..."

Kageyama winced. "Oh... I figured she would be..." His sister was a figure skating legend. She'd taken gold in the Olympics twice, as well as winning numerous other skating events and earning a large name for herself. She had retired at 26 after falling in love with another skater and having a child. She had always seen figure skating as not a simple career, but a lifestyle choice; a livelihood. Kageyama had shared this outlook until the Grand Prix Final tragedy of the previous year, but now that he had changed his mind, his sister would no doubt be furious about it.

"Oh well." Daichi shrugged as if it didn't matter at all if his family decided to shun him forever or accept him again. "I talked to her while you were gone. I think I loosened some of the tension. You just need to talk to her one-on-one. I'm sure she'll understand then."

"Yeah," Kageyama sighed and slumped in his seat miserably. "Be sure to give a nice speech at my funeral after she kills me."

* * *

"Here we are!" Daichi pulled up in front of Kageyama's family's home and put the car in park, pulling the keys out of the ignition and smiling over at him. Squinting out the windshield, Kageyama could see that the lights were all off in the house, which was odd considering it wasn't that late and his family was a group of night owls. Maybe they'd all packed up and abandoned ship, too ashamed to see him.

He'd have to live with Daichi or become a hermit. Oh well. At least nobody would bother him about his decision to quit skating if he were sitting on the side of the road begging passersby for spare yen.

"Stop that!" Daichi slapped him hard on the back without warning, jerking Kageyama out of his stew of self-pity and anxiety and causing him to yowl. "OW! Daichi, I didn't even do anything!" His ex-coach shot him an annoyed look. "I could _see_ the depression in your eyes! Quit being so pessimistic and go in already. You're making me sad just sitting next to you."

"Geez." Kageyama rubbed his back, shooting Daichi a pointed glare as he threw open the car door and hopped out. Daichi had popped the trunk for him, so he gathered his bags, grumbling irritably under his breath the whole time. Stupid Daichi. He clearly didn't get what Kageyama was feeling _at all_ , contrary to what he'd said in the hospital room the year before. The crushing paranoia? The fear they would hate him? The inexplicable urge to both vomit and cry? Yep; all there, and definitely _not_ something Daichi understood.

As soon as his last bag was free of the car, the trunk whooshed closed and Daichi sped off without so much as a goodbye, leaving Kageyama standing in the middle of his yard, pissed off and even more anxious than before. He fumbled around with his suitcases for a bit; picked them up, then put them down again. He knew he was stalling, but he was absolutely and truly terrified of what his family's reaction would be. In all honesty, it was driving him a bit insane to not know how the reunion would play out, but at the same time, he felt as if his feet were glued to the grass.

But slowly, step by step, he dragged his legs over the yard and towards the house, only stopping once he had reached the front door. He shuffled around another few minutes staring fixedly at it, trying to build up the willpower to open it. It was much harder than he thought.

Even though he knew he had to face them eventually, Kageyama felt like gravity was weighing him down, preventing him from stepping foot in the house. His family was everything he had; if they decided they wanted nothing to do with him, what would he do then? Return to Europe? Stay in Japan and try to live on his own? Both weren't particularly appealing...

"Gah, this is stupid," he said aloud, scuffing his heel across the ground with a scowl. "I just need to suck it up and go inside. Maybe they're all asleep and I can just sneak into my room and deal with this in the morning. Yeah, they're probably asleep. The lights are off..." He took a deep breath and squared his shoulders. _I can do this... Just open the door._

Before he could chicken out, Kageyama pushed open the door and stepped inside... and promptly screamed. "WELCOME HOME TOBIO!" was shouted at about 4000 decibels into his face as soon as he entered, causing him to trip right back out the door and fall very ungracefully on his ass. He stared breathlessly up at the gathering of people standing in the entryway with a horrified expression. "What... the... hell..." he gasped out, scrambling to his feet and trying to lower his heart rate back to a normal level.

His sister sprang out of the crowd and tackled him, nearly causing him to tip over again. But after five seconds of hugging, she pushed him back and slapped him across the face. "Dumbass Tobio! You're _such_ a dumbass!" She glared at him. "How could you stay away from home for a whole year?!"

He winced, feeling anther rush of guilt. "Sorry, Yuka..." He looked around cautiously. "But, um... what _is_ all this?"

His sister placed her hands on her hips and glanced back at the gathered group, who were all smiling and murmuring. "Oh, them? We put together a little surprise party for you when Daichi told us you were coming back." She shot him another glare. "Thanks for _not_ telling me about that, by the way."

"Sorry..." Kageyama rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly, but he was feeling slightly better. If they'd thrown him a surprise party, maybe they weren't as mad as he'd thought... Still, though, this was all a little overwhelming. Relieving, but overwhelming nonetheless. For the moment, all he really wanted to do was sleep. It had been a long flight and with this newest development, a huge weight had been lifted off his chest. Kageyama felt like he could sleep for days.

Yuka seemed to realize this, and her gaze softened as she wrapped a protective arm around his shoulder and guided him through the crowd. "Everyone, I think Tobio has a bit of jetlag. Everyone go on home. You can see him in the morning." There was a chorus of "Aw"s as everyone started to shuffle towards the door, but Kageyama was too tired to feel guilty. He had to admit, though; being home felt good. _Great_ , actually.

And now all he wanted to do was collapse amidst his familiar covers and hopefully wake up to something better. Seeing Yuka and his family and friends... everything came crashing down on him and he felt utterly overwhelmed and exhausted. His past decisions seemed to weigh on him even more. A second of relief, and now he was drowning again.

Luckily, they reached his room, and Yuka patted him on the back and ushered him inside. "We'll talk in the morning. Get some rest. You look like you could use it."

Kageyama said nothing, withdrawing into his room and preparing to shut the door. Yuka stopped for a moment, glancing back at him, and he paused. "Just so you know, I'm glad you're back. It really wasn't the same around here without you. " She smiled. "Goodnight, Tobio."

She retreated down the hallway to her own room, leaving Kageyama feeling even more conflicted. If she was trying to make him feel guilt about quitting skating and staying away for a year by being unbearably nice to him, then it was definitely working. She was way smarter than he gave her credit for.

Collapsing onto the bed, Kageyama stared morosely at his bedroom wall, which was covered with figure skating posters he'd collected over the years, as well as numerous photos of him and his friends on the ice, smiling widely. He stared at one in particular; him and Daichi at the kiss and cry after he'd won his first World Championship. He had been a crying, ecstatic mess, and had tears running down his face while he proudly held up his medal, Daichi wearing a joyful smile with an arm wrapped around his shoulder.

The memory made him smile, and his eyelids began to flutter as sleep overtook him. Perhaps he'd given up skating, but he'd always have the memories from that time: Those no one could take away from him. And maybe, just _maybe_ , he might make more some day.


	3. Second Skate

**❄ Second Skate ❄**

* * *

A week after his return to Natori, Kageyama began to help his sister run her ice-rink again. It had been in their family for generations, first started by his however-many-greats grandparents, running down the line to his grandparents, then his parents, and now his sister. The rink was where they grew up, learning how to skate and training for all their competitions. How many programs had been choreographed and performed on this ice? How many times had it had to be swept clean of the blade marks from their endless skating practices? Thousands, no doubt; probably even more.

It held a host of good memories for Kageyama, and his sister had dragged him back to work to get him out of the slump he seemed to be in. His family had fully accepted him back and forgiven him; that wasn't the problem. He couldn't exactly figure out why he felt this way. His family had accepted his decision; Daichi no longer pestered him about going back to skating; he had a free schedule that allowed him to do whatever he wanted. He should've been thrilled.

And yet, he wasn't. And the fact that he couldn't figure out why was infuriating.

"Oi, Kageyama!" his sister called from behind the skate check-out, poking her head over the counter. "Daichi is here to see you!"

"Coming!" Kageyama shouted back, placing the box of blade guards he'd been carrying down beside Yuka as he passed. As he walked past the rink, Yuka's kids waved on him, giggling as they skated around the edges, and he smiled and waved back at them. Even if his sister was annoying as fuck, he could say this: she made pretty cute kids. He faintly wondered where her husband was. He usually stuck to her and the kids like glue, the devoted man he was.

Daichi was waiting for him at the door, arms crossed, wearing a pleasant smile. He greeted Kageyama in an oddly too-cheerful voice, immediately striking a chord of suspicion in him. "What do you need, Daichi? I've got to get back to work." (That wasn't necessarily true, but he was getting a bad feeling about this, and if he could get away, the sooner the better.)

Unfortunately, his sister—the devil she was—called from the counter, "Oh, go on ahead. I can handle it. There aren't many people here today anyway."

"Great! Let's go." Kageyama shot her a glare as Daichi pulled him away by the arm, and she shrugged and mouthed _Sorry, not sorry,_ back at him, which only made him want to kill her more. Daichi's hold on his arm was probably the only thing that kept him from doing it. He'd brought his car over and he practically threw Kageyama into it before speeding off down the road.

* * *

Their destination was the beach, and Daichi parked along the side of the rocky slope that led down to it, turning off the ignition and stepping out of the car. Kageyama, with no choice but to follow him, unbuckled his seat-belt and hurried to catch up with him, cool sea spray misting against his face as the wind off the water blew up the shore at them.

They walked in silence until they reached a spot overshadowed by some sparse trees growing from the pebbles and sat down in the damp sand underneath, Daichi seeming somber while Kageyama watched him from the corner of his eye warily. He had never been able to read the man well and now was no different. The slightest shifting of his eyes was the only clue that something was on his mind.

Eventually, the thick quiet was enough to make Kageyama uneasy, and he let out a loud sigh. "I can tell you have something to say to me, so go on and say it already. You're creeping me out."

Daichi laughed, diffusing some of the tension, though it still lingered between them like an ocean undercurrent. "You're right, sorry. I've just been thinking lately." He leaned back against the thin trunk of a tree and stared out at the gray water searchingly. "We've been through a lot together, Tobio. I've been there for your victories, your failures; I've seen your highs and your lows." He glanced over at him, lips twitching in the beginnings of a smile. "I think we can agree that we know each other fairly well."

Kageyama nodded hesitantly, unsure where he was going with this. "Yeah, I guess..."

"Well..." Daichi sighed, pursing his lips. "I know you, Kageyama, and I can see the longing in your eyes. You miss it, don't you? That's why you still act so depressed even though your family accepted you back home."

It was easy to understand what he meant without asking for an explanation, and Kageyama scowled. "I knew you were going to bring it up again. I'm fine, alright? I don't want to go back to skating. I've told you this already."

"Come on, Tobio," Daichi pressed, more urgently now, not willing to give up. "I now that skating means everything to you. You were always the happiest when you were on the ice. Am I supposed to believe that all suddenly changed or disappeared just because of a little injury?"

Kageyama looked away, biting his lip. "Yes. _No_. I don't know." He shook his head. "But that doesn't matter. I made my decision. I'm not coming back."

" _Why_?" Daichi's voice was full of desperation as he searched Kageyama's eyes beseechingly. "Just tell me _why_. What's the reason?"

"The reason..." Kageyama trailed off, staring out at the ocean, searching. What _was_ the reason? If he _really_ thought about, what was the reason he didn't want to skate again? Maybe because... "I'm scared," he murmured, hugging his knees to his chest and watching as a bird circled above a cresting wave. "I've gotten injured skating before, but that time... it was different. The ankle snapped. They said it would take months to build up enough strength to skate again, and that's not accounting for all the time it would take for me to get back my balance, coordination, and everything else."

"But that's—"

"I know," Kageyama interrupted. "I know I still have all those things, but I'm still scared. I'm scared to jump again. I'm scared to fall again." He grasped a fistful of sand and raised it, letting it slip through his fingers grain by grain. "I don't want to fail again. I watched my entire career basically slip through my fingers. Do you know how scary that is? I was terrified. I _am_ terrified. I'm terrified that it will happen again, and the next time there will be no option of coming back."

Daichi had grown silent, and together they sat and watched the gentle pushing and pulling of the ocean. When he finally spoke, the level of sadness in his tone surprised Kageyama. "I do know, more than you think. I have... a sister. She was one of the best skaters I've ever seen, to this day. Won the Grand Prix Final, the Worlds, the Olympics; everything. She was going places." The nostalgic smile he'd worn dropped into a frown. "But then she had an accident. She fell during practice. They discovered that she had torn her ACL from overworking it. She had to have surgery to repair it." He shook his head sadly. "They told her she had to stay off the ice for six to nine months and do physical therapy. She couldn't bear waiting that long, so she went back after only five." He took a shaky breath, let out a weak laugh. "She.. said she was feeling better. That she was bored just sitting around."

He let out a weak laugh. "She... she said she was feeling better. That she was bored just sitting around. For whatever reason, her coach let her start practicing again, against the doctor's orders. The World Championships were coming up and she had to get back in shape. Well... she fell again. The damage was permanent. They told her she could never skate again." He took a shaky breath. "So I do know how you feel."

"Daichi, I'm... so sorry. I didn't know."

"I don't like to talk about it." He wiped his face, composing himself and smiling over at Kageyama. "Anyway, that's why I think you should go back. You did everything they told you; your ankle is back to normal and you're ready. The only thing holding you back is fear. _Seize_ this moment, Tobio. This may be your last chance."

Kageyama looked away, ashamed, feeling a lump form in his throat. "I— I can't. I'm too afraid..." And it was true. While Daichi had only been trying to inspire him, the story only made him feel worse. He was selfish. Daichi's sister had loved the ice enough to go back despite warning and had paid the price for it, and here he was perfectly recovered, but he still couldn't bring himself to return simply because he was afraid. It was pitiful.

Daichi sighed. "I'm not going to argue with you, but... you're twenty-one now, Tobio. It's been a year. If you don't get back on the ice _now_ , when will you?"

"Maybe I don't _want_ to go back," Kageyama murmured into his knees.

Daichi smiled, resting a hand gently on his shoulder. "That look in your eyes tells me you do." He clapped him once on the arm and stood, wearing one of his usual, cheerful smiles, as if nothing had happened. "Come on: We should get back."

"Yeah..." Kageyama hesitantly accepted his proffered hand and allowed himself to be pulled to his feet. "Thanks."

* * *

In his room that night, Kageyama lay staring up at the dark ceiling, deep in thought. Daichi's words from the beach stuck to the inside of his head like glue. _You're twenty-one now, Tobio. It's been a year. If you don't get back on the ice now, when will you?_

He was right. Kageyama was getting older, and the older he got, the shorter the gap became for him to return to skating. Daichi had said that he could see in his eyes that he wanted to come back. Was it true? Did he want to skate again? Behind the fear, behind the anxiety, what did he truly want? It was hard to say.

If he turned onto his side and stared out at his walls full of memories, he felt a nostalgic tug in his heart. Longing for that time; that happiness, the likes of which he hadn't felt since he quit the year before. Daichi was right; he had been his happiest when skating. He remembered all the years he'd put into practicing, choreographing, picking costumes and music. It was practically his entire life.

He and his sister had grown up at the rink, learning to skate practically before they could walk. Kageyama remembered all the time they'd spent together, skating for fun, laughing, making faces at each other, racing from one side of the rink to the other, nearly slamming face-first into the walls more than a few times. All of these good memories and one bad one overshadowed them all.

Burying his face in his pillows, Kageyama squeezed his eyes shut and struggled to pick apart his tangled mess of emotions. He had never been the type to be afraid of anything before, always the first to try new foods or go on crazy rides, but now here he was, completely terrified of something he'd loved his entire life. He prided himself on being cool, calm, and collected, but he really had no idea how to fix this.

What could he do to get rid of this fear that was holding him back? He had nothing to inspire him; no solid reason to go back to skating. If he could find something like that, then maybe... He could always talk to Daichi about it. At the moment, his ex-coach was the one that seemed to understand his situation the most.

Yeah, he would talk to Daichi. Somehow Kageyama would sort all this out. And once he did, he hoped there would still be a spot waiting for him on the ice. If he could overcome this, then he could go back to what he truly loved doing. And if not, well... He'd figure something out.

His parents, his sister, Daichi; they were all there for him. And the rink waited for him, too. There was always a way to keep going if you looked for it, and Kageyama vowed there and then that he would find it, no matter how long it took. As long as he kept going, kept trying to turn everything right again, then he knew everything would be okay.


	4. Third Skate

**❄ Third Skate ❄**

* * *

The next day, Kageyama sat behind the counter of Yuka's ice rink, staring out blankly at the wall, chin resting in the palm of his hand, mind wandering. It was Sunday, so not many people were skating. Just a mother and her two kids and a giggly teenage couple. Not much work for Kageyama to do.

Yuka herself had run off to grab some lunch at the nearby convenience store since it was nearing noon. Her kids were staying with Kageyama's parents back at the house, and her husband was still MIA. (He'd forgotten to ask Yuka where he was.) Daichi was visiting one of his friends in Tokyo and wouldn't be back until later in the evening, so that left Kageyama all alone with absolutely _nothing_ to keep him entertained.

Except maybe watching the couple fall on their asses repeatedly. They didn't seem to grasp the fact that if they held on to each other when one fell, so did the other. They kept stumbling around, giggling like idiots, trying to stay upright and looking like baby deer trying to stand for the first time. Hell, even the _kids_ were doing better. (It was pretty funny.) But aside from that, there was nothing.

The ice was freshly smoothed-over and had that pretty reflective sheen it had whenever fresh, and Kageyama found himself with that same irritating tug in his chest that seemed to pull him towards it. He really did miss skating. A lot. But any time he thought about stepping foot on the ice, that familiar fear overtook him, and the idea quickly dispersed. He couldn't gather enough courage to even pick up a pair of skates.

It was insanely frustrating. Daichi's words from the beach kept getting to him, too. He got that it was selfish of him to quit. He got that he was being a wimp. He got that fear was the only thing holding him back. He got that his time limit was running out for getting back on the ice. So _why_ did Daichi have to keep reminding him?

It pissed him off just thinking about it.

"Tobio, you'll get wrinkles if you frown like that all the time." A finger flicked him between the eyes and Kageyama yelped, looking up to find his sister staring down at him incredulously, holding a plastic to-go bag. He glared at her as she swung herself up over the counter and plopped down a plastic container in front of him. "Seriously, you scare away all our business. And you're so cute when you smile." She reached out to pinch his cheek and Kageyama slapped her hand away with a scowl. "Shut up."

Yuka puffed out her cheeks poutingly. "Aw, c'mon, you're no fun! And I even got you your favorite, too." As Kageyama checked in the container suspiciously, she put on her nametag and started eating and rearranging skates at the same time, chopsticks in one hand and shoes in the other. "By tfe vay, ew need to close up vor me. The kids haf a skafing reciptel."

"Don't talk with your mouth full," Kageyama said, pulling a disgusted face as he dug into his own food. "Who's supposed to be the older sibling again? And why do _I_ have to stay late? Can't we just close up early?"

"Because I said so," Yuka said, swallowing her mouthful of food. "Just make sure all the skates are put away, the ice is clean, and the doors are locked at the end of the night." She paused, chopsticks halfway to her mouth. "Oh, by the way, there's this kid that usually stays late so make sure he's out before you lock up."

"Yeah, yeah," Kageyama waved her off. "I got it. Dad taught us both how to close up when we were toddlers. I think I can manage one night."

Yuka smiled, and for some reason, there was mischevious note behind it that made Kageyama glance at her suspiciously. "Whatever you say, little brother. Finish eating so you can help me. There's a shipment of new skates coming in." As she passed him to exit the counter she poked him in the chest. "Don't forget about the kid!"

"I won't!" Kageyama yelled defensively, shooing her away. He watched her skip off, eyes narrowed. Something about the way she was smiling was making him nervous...

* * *

Later that night, Kageyama began the tedious process of closing the ice rink. Since they'd received a new set of skates, he'd had to manually check them all into the storage room files and make sure there were no problems with them and had had to sort through the old ones and throw away any that were too old or in disrepair. That alone had taken about two hours of his time, and after that, he'd had to pick up all the scattered food wrappers and things that littered the ground, sweep and mop the floors, clean the bathrooms, put away all the skates, and lock down the concession stand and the check-in booth.

The last thing he had to do was to resurface the ice. He was about to head over to the storage area where they kept the machine they used, but then he remembered his sister's repeated warnings of 'Don't forget the kid!' and let out an annoyed sigh. He stuck the keys in his pocket and wandered back over to the rink. As he approached, he saw Daichi leaning against the glass, peering in. The sound of blades against ice could be heard, and Kageyama came to rest silently beside his ex-coach, squinting inside.

A lone boy remained on the ice, making quick circles around the edge, so fast and so close to the boards Kageyama was afraid he would crash into them. Yuka had called him a kid but he looked to be around 18 or 19; only a few years younger than them. Kageyama didn't recognize him, and he was definitely someone he would've remembered. He was oddly pretty for a boy, with a heart-shaped face and pale, flawless skin. His hair was a shockingly bright orange and curled around his head like a mass of cresting waves. His chocolate eyes were oddly somber—almost sad—as they stared straight ahead, focused completely on the ice.

He was wearing headphones, attached to a phone that rested in the pocket of his black tracksuit. His skates weren't a pair of theirs; they must've been his own. But who was he? Kageyama had never seen him before. They were fairly close in age, so they should've gone to the same school at one point, but... "Who is that, Daichi?"

Daichi, unperturbed by his sudden appearance, glanced over at him with a smile. "Oh, him? That's Hinata Shōyō. He just recently started skating competitively." He frowned in thought. "Actually, now that I think about it, it wasn't long after you announced your retirement last year..." He cleared his throat. "Anyway, he's a bit of a dark horse. Nobody thought he'd go far considering he started pretty late in the game at seventeen. But it's not like he's _bad_ : he's got loads of potential but has yet to make it past Nationals."

"Hm..." Kageyama turned to stare out at the boy again, calculating. "He skates competitively then?"

"Yep." Daichi braced his arms against the boards and leaned against them. "He's pretty good. He's got this _feeling_ in his movements that completely draws you in." He laughed sheepishly. "It's a bit hard to explain in words. Just watch him and you'll see for yourself."

Kageyama focused on the willowy figure again, carefully, paying attention to his movements. Though the music was only audible to him, Kageyama could almost hear it himself in the boy's movements. Swaying, gentle, graceful, _beautiful_ , but too hurried, too sloppy. But even so, Kageyama couldn't take his eyes off of him, with his fluid movements and sad eyes. It really did capture his attention, like Daichi had said.

 _But it could be even better,_ he thought to himself. _This boy could be a great skater with the proper training. His skating is so full of emotion and passion, and while his movements are too fast and not well put-together, he's got natural flow and grace._ Kageyama shook his head disbelievingly. _Where has he been this whole time?_

He hadn't realized he'd asked the question out loud until Daichi offered an answer. "He's got a little sister. Both of their parents died a while back and they've got no living relatives so he has to work as well as go to school and take care of her, not to mention skating." He shook his head sadly. "He graduated last year, but still... that's a lot of responsibility for a kid."

"Mm." Kageyama continued watching him, mind wandering. He attempted a triple salchow but landed wrong and fell, sliding across the ice from the momentum gathered behind the jump. Kageyama's eyes widened slightly in surprise. _To try that jump going at such a high speed... Incredible._

Slamming his hands against the boards, Kageyama turned to Daichi angrily. "What the _hell_ has this kid been doing for the past year?! Why hasn't he competed in anything? Who's his coach? What jumps can he land? What's his training regimen like? How fast can he go?"

Daichi laughed nervously, holding his hands up in a placating manner. "Whoa, whoa, hang on! Too many questions all at once! First of all, his coach isn't necessarily a professional, so that may be why he hasn't been able to make it very far in competitions. He wasn't active this year because his coach got sick, so Hinata has no one to train him. He still practices here almost every day, though."

"Yeah, keep going," Kageyama said impatiently. Daichi chuckled. "Geez, why so curious, Tobio? You never showed this much interest in your rivals when you were competing."

Kageyama clicked his tongue in annoyance. "I don't know. This just seems stupid. Couldn't he find another coach? _You_ could coach him."

"He doesn't want to take another coach," Daichi said simply. " _Yuka_ even offered to train with him but he turned her down, and _she's_ practically famous in the figure-skating world. He's a stubborn one, that Hinata Shōyō." Daichi smiled at him teasingly. "A lot like someone else I know."

"Yeah, whatever..." Kageyama turned away, casting one last glance back at Hinata before scoffing and striding away. _Stupid..._ "Tell him to clear out, would you? I'm going to resurface the ice." He didn't wait for Daichi to agree, storming off in a quiet fury. For some reason, this Hinata kid was riling him up. If he cared about his coach more than his career, maybe he should quit. _What a stupid mentality..._

* * *

Meanwhile, across town, Yuka was driving home. Her kids were all asleep in the back seat, snoring away, and her husband was sitting across from her, studying his phone with disinterest. "Hey, did you hear that Coach Ukai is in the hospital again?" he asked, glancing up at his wife.

She nodded in response, pulling off to head to her parent's house. "Yeah. Hinata's still refusing to take another coach." She shot a sly smile over at her husband, winking conspiratorially. "I was hoping Tobio might take an interest in him. There's nothing he hates more than wasted potential."

"Wait..." He narrowed his eyes at her suspiciously. "Is _that_ why you made me go see Ukai and tell him to refuse to go back to coaching Hinata? I thought you were just worried about his health!"

Yuka giggled. "Well, of course I am, Nao, but Tobio needs to find his muse!" She held up a fist with a determined look. "What kind of an older sister would I be if I couldn't light the creative fire in him again? He's being such a little wimp. Daichi told me why he doesn't want to go back to skating and I wanted to beat his dumbass head in!"

"Uh... yeah..." Nao swallowed nervously. "So what, you think he's going to see Hinata and suddenly decide he wants to become his coach? It's a _little_ far-fetched."

"Hey, give me some credit," Yuka said defensively. "I know my brother better than anyone else, and he'll _definitely_ be super pissed about this!" She smiled confidently. "I can assure you, by the end of the week, those two will be the new talk of the figure skating world!" She laughed. "And besides, Hinata is a good influence for Tobio. He may just cure him of his fear yet!"

"That's never going to work, Mom," one of the kids murmured from the backseat. Yuka turned on him with a growl. "Hey, don't doubt your mother! This will definitely work!"


	5. Fourth Skate

**❄ Fourth Skate ❄**

* * *

The next week passed quickly. Kageyama sat behind the counter day after day, watching Hinata skate. He'd asked Yuka multiple questions about him and had received most of the information he wanted. He was eighteen and had only started skating the previous year, and while he competed, he could never make it past Nationals to qualify for the Grand Prix. His coach was a long-time skating enthusiastic, Ukai, who was known to suffer from multiple health problems. He was currently in the hospital after having a stroke, leaving Hinata with no coach while he recovered.

What bothered Kageyama so much was the fact that the boy wouldn't take another coach, even a temporary one. Was he stupid? Did he not care about his career? It was foolish of him to refuse help, especially when things weren't looking good for Ukai. The man was getting old anyway: he probably wouldn't be able to coach for much longer. What did Hinata plan on doing then?

He had so much potential if he would just _get serious_.

"You're scowling again," Yuka said in his ear, startling Kageyama so much he jumped, whacking his elbow against the counter and nearly falling off his stool. He whipped around, glaring at her accusingly, rubbing the sore spot and muttering curses under his breath. "Would you _quit_ sneaking up on me like that?! And I'm _not_ scowling!"

Yuka giggled, setting down the box of blade guards she was holding. " _Sure_ you're not. Anyway, I'm not paying you to sit here and stare at Hinata all day. Why don't you go work concessions for a while?"

"I wasn't staring!" Kageyama said defensively, pushing away from the counter to distance himself from her. She shot him an incredulous look, grabbing an apron and pressing it to his chest, shoving him away. " _Sure_ you weren't. Now put this on and get to work, you freeloader."

Kageyama shot her the finger over his shoulder as he walked towards the concession stand, earning a snicker as he pulled on the ugly blue apron, muttering under his breath as he double-knotted it behind his back. "Stupid Yuka. 'I don't pay you to stare'. I wasn't staring!" Letting himself behind the counter, he slumped against it and stared out at the rink irritably. He relaxed a little as he watched the skaters on the ice. Hinata was still there.

They were busier than usual, about a dozen or more people out on the ice, so he was doing laps around the edges, still as fast as he had been the first time Kageyama saw him. His speed was amazing, and the few jumps he had managed to complete successfully had amazing height and power. The only person Kageyama had ever seen with that kind of speed and ability had been a skater they called 'The Little Giant'. Kageyama himself had never had to go against him in competition—luckily it was before his time—but he'd watched him multiple times and he had gone undefeated throughout most of his career.

Now that he looked at him more closely, Hinata looked a lot like The Little Giant. In fact, they were nearly identical save for their different hair and eye colors. And not _only_ their skating style, but also their stature and mannerisms seemed almost exactly the same.

 _Interesting._

Now Kageyama knew for sure that this kid was something special.

* * *

Around noon, Kageyama went on break and jogged over to the convenience store to bring back lunch. When he got back to the rink about thirty minutes later, a lot of the morning crowd had left, leaving only a few people on the ice. His attention was drawn to the players' bench where Hinata was sitting, talking on the phone. He looked concerned, brows drawn together, biting his lip anxiously.

As he passed, Kageyama tilted his head discreetly, catching a snippet of conversation. "I don't understand what you're saying... Well, _yes_ , I know that, but—" The rest of the words were unintelligible as he wandered too far away, but as he neared the skate counter, Hinata sprang to his feet with a loud exclamation, drawing a few startled gazes from other onlookers.

Kageyama set Yuka's food on the counter, still glancing back at Hinata, distracted. His shoulders slumped—he looked like he might _actually_ start crying—and the hand that held the phone was shaking slightly while the other had balled into a tight fist at his side. He was clearly upset about something, and as he kept talking, he grew more and more agitated until, with a final sharp line spoken into the phone, he hung up and stormed off.

"Wonder what _that_ was about," Yuka murmured with half-curiosity, more interested in her food, which she had already begun to eat. "Eh, whatever. I still need you to handle concessions, Tobio." At his stammered protest, she shot him a silencing glower. "Don't argue. Put an apron on and get to work."

"Geez..." Kageyama backed away, hands held up in supplication. "I'm going, I'm going!" He retreated quickly, snatching an apron on the way. Though he would never admit it out loud, his sister could be _insanely_ scary when she wanted to. (He felt bad for Nao and the kids, poor suckers.)

"Still, what an overlord," he muttered aloud, ducking behind the concessions counter with a grimace. "Work, work, work. She's such a slave-driver." He bent over to snatch a can of soda from a cooler under the counter and popped the top with a scowl. "Well, I'm going to drink this, so there, stupid Yu— AHH!" He dropped his soda, spilling it all over the floor, as he stood up to find Hinata standing inches away, staring at him.

Yelping, he quickly fell to his knees and picked up the soda, throwing towels over the floor to stop the sticky spill from spreading. Hinata leaned over the counter, looking horrified and embarrassed. "Oh God, I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to scare you like that, I swear!"

Kageyama stood up so fast he whacked his head hard against the underside of the counter and let out a string of curses. He straightened, rubbing his skull with a wince. (He'd probably have brain damage after that hit.) "It's, uh— fine." For some reason, he was really nervous all of a sudden. "Did you need something?"

"Um..." Hinata sniffled slightly. "Just a water, please..."

"Sure, sure." As Kageyama scurried off to retrieve it, he cast a discreet glance at Hinata, noticing the redness around his eyes and his puffy cheeks: He'd definitely been crying. (Maybe because of that phone call earlier, he wondered?) Finding the water, Kageyama grabbed one and set it on the counter, watching as Hinata dug around clumsily in the pockets of his sweatshirt for his wallet. "Are you okay?" he asked (before he could think twice about it and chicken out).

Hinata, who had just found his wallet, nearly dropped it, fumbling with it a few times before regaining a secure hold. "M-me? Oh, I'm fine!" He pulled out some money and handed it to Kageyama, taking the water and uncapping it right there, gulping it down like it was the first liquid he'd had in weeks. _Okay... Definitenly not weird..._

"Are you _sure_ you're fine?" Kageyama asked incredulously. Normally he didn't inquire about people's well-being, but what could he say: Hinata had caught his interest. (This 'interest' was mostly perceived as 'annoyance', but still.)

Gulping down the rest of his water, the ginger in question wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and glanced over at Kageyama, eyes flickering back and forth nervously. "I'm fine. I don't know why everyone keeps asking me that." As he threw the empty bottle in a nearby recycling bin, Kageyama noticed that his hands were shaking ever so slightly. Obviously he wasn't fine. But should he press the issue? He had no reason to. They didn't really know each other, after all; unless you counted periodical one-sided staring as acquaintance-ship.

 _Oh well. What've I got to lose?_ "You look like you've been crying." He said it more factually than worriedly, but it seemed to get his point across just fine. Hinata sagged visibly, almost like a deflating balloon. Kageyama would've laughed at the comparison if the boy didn't look so miserable. "So what's wrong?" he prompted, not one for sympathetic theatrics. He was just curious, really. (And Hinata didn't seem like the type to frown, so he may have been a _tiny_ bit concerned.)

Luckily, Hinata didn't immediately burst into tears, though his voice was a bit unsteady as he spoke. "My coach called me. He said he's retiring and so I— I need to find someone else." He sniffled, looking on the verge of tears again. "I don't know what to do. He's _always_ been my coach, and I don't really know how to find another one..."

Kageyama nearly vaulted the counter right then to give him a good hard elbow to the face and hopefully knock some sense into him, silently screaming in frustration. He knew for a fact that Yuka had offered to coach him before, and he could also pick Daichi or even Yuka's husband, Nao. All three had a history in figure skating and had more than a few wins under their belts. This kid really _was_ an idiot, wasn't he?

Instead of obeying his murderous urges, Kageyama instead took a measured breath and placed his hands against the counter to keep them from wringing Hinata's scrawny neck. He put on the most patient tone he could muster. "There are plenty of figure skating coaches around here, if you ask around. My sister—the girl who runs this place—would probably coach you if you asked her." (He didn't mention that he already knew all about Hinata's predicament from Daichi. That would seem creepy.)

Hinata shifted restlessly, fingers wringing the edge of his black tracksuit jacket incessantly, eyes darting back and forth like those of a caged animal. "Well... I don't know..." He paused, fingers stilling as he glanced up at Kageyama sharply, startling him a bit. "Wait." He was suddenly right in his face, causing Kageyama to jerk back in surprise as the boy's abruptly intense gaze bored into him, chocolate eyes narrowed searchingly.

"Um..." Kageyama shifted back discreetly, feeling a bit uncomfortable at the sudden attention. He hadn't felt this way since his first year in skating when everyone was looking at him like a bug under a microscope, judging his talent and skill level. His eyes were so _intense_ , predator instead of prey now. "Well, I'm just gonna _go_ now, so..."

"You're _him_!" Hinata shouted, causing Kageyama to jump once again as he slammed a fist into his open palm in an 'Aha!' gesture. All signs of sadness were gone from his face, eyes sparkling and lips tilted upwards in a slanted smile as he bounced up and down on the balls of his feet excitedly. "Kageyama Tobio, figure skating _legend_! What are you doing _here_?" His voice was equal parts curiosity and exasperation, as if the small family-owned ice rink was way below his apparent 'legendary' status.

" _Legend_?" Kageyama repeated, frowning self-consciously. "I don't know if I would _exactly_ call myself a—"

"I didn't know you came back to Natori," Hinata continued on, as if he hadn't heard him. (Kageyama once again had to resist the overwhelming urge to strangle him.) "I thought you stayed in Barcelona after your injury." He covered his mouth, eyes widening as if he'd said a bad word. "I'm sorry," he whispered, lowering his voice theatrically, "am I not supposed to talk about that? I know it's probably a touchy subject for you..."

Kageyama held back a sigh of immense suffering and pinched the bridge of his nose in thinly concealed irritation. "Listen, I'm going to go now, so see ya." He shrugged off his apron and ducked around the counter, making a hasty retreat towards the employee break room. Before he got there, he paused to give the left-behind, shell-shocked Hinata a quick order with a glare and an accusatory finger-point. " _Go find a coach_."

* * *

"That kid is so _irritating_ ," Kageyama stressed to Yuka as he angrily put the skates back on their shelves, looking as if he wanted to spike one into the nearest wall. "He acts as if there's _no_ options for another coach when Daichi _clearly_ told me that you offered to train him, not to mention both he and Nao are old figure skaters who could _easily_ take him on as their student. I mean, _seriously_." He slammed the skates down viciously. "It's ridiculous!"

"Tobio, why don't you head home early?" Yuka suggested, carefully easing the new pair of skates he was strangling out of his hands. "You're going to end up stabbing someone with these. Go cool off. Get some food."

"I will, thank you very much," Kageyama huffed, stomping away with a burn-the-world-to-the-ground look on his heavily-scowling face. He muttered angrily to himself as he changed clothes in the break room and started towards the doors, hands buried in his pockets and eyes burning with irritation. "I swear, that kid is going to drive me to an early—"

"Kageyama!"

"AH!" Kageyama jumped to the side so fast he nearly toppled over, gasping for air from the sudden shock of his name being shouted into his ear way too cheerfully. He shockingly beheld a smiling Hinata in front of him, a black-and-orange duffel bag slung over his shoulder, wearing a set of casual clothes he must've brought with him, seeming completely unperturbed by Kageyama's aghast expression.

" _What_ "—he finally managed to get out—"are you doing?"

"I felt bad for bringing up, ah, _you know_ "—he coughed nervously and Kageyama tried not to roll his eyes—"earlier, so..." He cleared his throat and adopted a professional look, slightly diminished by the sunshiny smile he still wore. "I'm going to buy you dinner as an apology!"


	6. Fifth Skate

**A/N:** Wow I haven't posted a chapter in a long while... Sorry guys ;-; I'll try to start updating more on this story so forgive me and enjoy the chapter~

* * *

 **❄ Fifth Skate ❄**

* * *

Hinata and Kageyama sat across from each other and the latter watched the redhead in front of him devour a bowl of ramen with a slightly disturbed expression. He'd been dragged along to a noodle shop in downtown Natori with Hinata's insistence to buy him dinner, so here they were, parked at a table in the corner with bowls in front of them and chopsticks in their hands.

To say the atmosphere was awkward would be a major understatement. Though Hinata didn't seem at all bothered, Kageyama felt extremely out of place in the mostly-empty shop, _not to mention_ he was sitting across from an extremely weird stranger who he'd been semi-stalking for the past week... He grimaced. No doubt Hinata would be super creeped out if he knew that, even though Kageyama _really_ hadn't meant anything by it...

"Are you okay?" the redhead asked, startling him so much Kageyama dropped his chopsticks, spilling a spray of hot broth onto his wrist. " _Ouch_!" He jerked his arm away, swearing profusely as he fumbled for a napkin. Hinata covered his mouth to conceal a snort, earning a harsh glare from a steaming Kageyama. _That was so embarrassing!_ "I'm fine! You just startled me," he fumed, tossing the crumpled napkin aside with a huff. This was _not_ going well.

"I'm sorry I laughed," Hinata apologized sincerely. "You just act funny when you're nervous."

"I'm not nervous!" Kageyama growled defensively, feeling his cheeks warm. _Gah, I need_ several _drinks to deal with this idiot! I'm five seconds away from running out of here and hiding at home..._ "Can you just tell me why you wanted to buy me dinner so badly?" he muttered, covering his stinging wrist with a wince. "I _really_ wasn't mad at you, y'know."

"I— I know that!" Hinata turned away with a flush, lips pursing into a childish pout. "I just... wanted to.. t-ta..." His voice lowered until he was mumbling incoherently, fidgeting in his chair like he was being interrogated. Kageyama waved the waiter over to order a drink before probing any deeper. Only when a glass of something strong was in his hand did he speak again. "Speak up. It's not like I'm going to yell at you or anything."

Hinata flinched like he'd been struck, letting out a splutter like he was spitting up water. "W-well... I always w-watched you on TV and in competitions, and... y-you're sorta like my— my idol, so..." He looked away, clearly embarrassed. (Even his ears were red.) "I really j-just wanted to... talk... with you..."

" _Pfft_..." Kageyama let out a tiny snort, snickering into his hand as he took a drink. Hinata blinked at him, shocked. Kageyama could already feel the alcohol taking effect. He knew he probably shouldn't have been drinking, but honestly, he was seriously nervous for some reason, and this made it _so much better_. And besides, Hinata's miffed expression was really cute... "Seriously? _That's_ why?" He shook his head. "You're crazy. It's not like I'm famous anymore. You could've just approached me normally."

Hinata's expression turned angry. "Hey, you're still plenty famous! Everyone always talks about you at the rink and—!" He cut himself off suddenly, as if he had a lot more to say but was holding it in, face scrunching up in a way that would've been funny if he wasn't so mad. Kageyama was a little surprised by his outburst. The boy seemed _genuinely_ upset and passionate about defending him; something not even Kageyama himself ever did. Really, who is this kid?

"No way!" The redhead shook his head so much Kageyama was afraid his neck might snap. "You've been my favorite ice skater for years! You were the only well-known skater from my hometown, and everyone always told me I could never make it big because I'm not good enough, I'm short and clumsy, and I'm from tiny, nowhere Yukigaoka in Miyagi Prefecture, but seeing you out there..." His chocolate eyes sparkled as his hands closed into fists against the table. "I knew _I_ could do it, too!"

" _Wow_ ," Kageyama hiccuped, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand and setting his empty glass on the table with a hollow _thunk_. "Is _that_ why you became a skater?"

"Yep!" Hinata beamed. "Well, not entirely I mean. I've always liked it a lot, but you're why I decided to try it competitively." He chuckled sheepishly. "Actually, the first time I tried a jump I was imitating your first Worlds performance... My sister really liked it, so she told me I should try it for real."

 _Sister..._ His brows furrowed as Kageyama's fuzzy brain struggled to dig up the conversation he'd had with Daichi a week earlier. _'He's got a little sister. Both of their parents died a while back and they've got no living relatives so he has to work as well as go to school and take care of her, not to mention skating.'_ He frowned. That's _kind of sad. No; that's_ really _sad._

"K-Kageyama?" Hinata leaned forward with a surprised expression. "Are you— are you crying?!"

"No!" Kageyama sniffled, turning away from the annoying redhead and wiping his leaking eyes. No matter how hard he tried, the tears just wouldn't stop coming and before he knew it, Kageyama was full-out sobbing. Everyone in the ramen shop was looking at him with concern, excluding Hinata, who seemed to be panicking. "E-eeh! Wh-what's wrong, Kageyama? What did I— What can I do?!"

"Idiot," Kageyama whined, resting his head on the table and letting himself weep. _This is what you get for drinking,_ his conscience scolded him. You have no filter outside of your own head and you're crying like a toddler. We're never coming to this restaurant again. He started a back-and-forth argument with himself while Hinata continued freaking out in the background.

 _Maybe this is a dream._ ** _But that doesn't make any sense._** _Just close your eyes and sleep._ ** _I can't just fall asleep here, of all places! Hinata's still talking, too. What if he tells Daichi that I passed out drunk? I would be so embarrassed._** _Don't worry about any of that now. You can sleep here. See; your eyes are closed already._

His conscience was right, unfortunately: He was asleep within a few seconds, drooling on the table and leaving him no time to worry about how he'd get home.

* * *

Usually, your favorite figure skater doesn't pass out drunk in a ramen shop with you, so Hinata _definitely_ wasn't prepared when that exact scenario occurred. He also wasn't prepared when the owner kicked them out and he found himself standing in the middle of the sidewalk struggling to hold up his unconscious idol.

 _What kind of guy accepts a free dinner and passes out drunk?!_ he fumed silently. _Is he a degenerate? I shouldn't have to deal with this. I have no experience with this sort of thing, not to mention I don't even know where he lives..._ Hinata bent over with a helpless whimper. _Geh! What do I do?! Call a cab? But I don't have any more money after paying the bill..._

Hinata paused on the silent street, shifting his unconscious burden onto his back and going over his options. None of them were particularly appealing, and some of them were just downright scary, but he couldn't just leave Kageyama there. Even if the street was mostly empty, who knew what could happen late at night in that shady part of town. So that left two mostly-safe options: 1.) Walk him back to his sister's rink and hope someone was there or 2.) Bring him back to Hinata's place.

It was nearing 1 A.M. already, so Hinata doubted the ice rink would be open, but Natsu was sleeping and he wouldn't want to wake her up and scare her by dragging in a drunk stranger. His brows creased in deep thought. "What should I do...?"

"Mmm..." The body on his back stirred and Hinata yelped in surprise. He moved Kageyama back against the alleyway wall and help him up with a hand on his shoulder. "Kageyama, are you okay? Are you feeling queezy?"

"Wha..." The older boy squinted around, eyes glassy and hooded. "Wh're... 'm I?" His words were so slurred, Hinata had to lean forward to hear him. "We're outside the ramen shop," he told him slowly. "Remember, I brought you there? We ate dinner?"

"Eh... Ouch." Kageyama winced, holding a hand to his stomach. He looked a little green in the face. "Ugh... I— not feel so— _Blegh_." He bent over at the waist and retched, violently throwing up all his food—the food Hinata had paid for—all over the ground. Hinata gagged and stayed well back, frantically waving the smell away so he wouldn't get sick, too. "Ew, ew, _grossss_!"

Kageyama made a burping sound, wiping his mouth with his jacket sleeve and leaning his head back with a groan. He looked _really_ horrible, face sweaty and pale and breathing shallow, so Hinata hesitantly scooted his way back over, still wary of another barfing session. "Kageyama... Can you tell me where you live so I can take you home? The rink is closed so I can't bring you there."

"Rink..." Kageyama's eyes brightened for a moment and he turned lurchingly to Hinata, leaning a little bit too close for comfort as he clamped a hand on his shoulder. Hinata had to turn his head slightly to avoid a face full of alcohol breath. "Hin'ta, you... skater?" he struggled to ask, pointing a wandering finger down at him with immense effort.

"Um... yes?" Hinata answered, confused. "But please, I _really_ need to know where you live..."

"You— not... no coach." Kageyama paused, staring at empty air for a moment, wobbling as if he were a top about to fall over. "Need... one," he murmured to himself, stumbling clumsily into Hinata's arms. He screeched and struggled to stay upright under the taller boy's weight. "Kageyama, really, you need to go home!"

"Hin'ta." Hinata stumbled as he found his shoulders gripped tightly and a serious blue gaze boring into him. "I... go'in to coach you... 'kay?"

"What...?" He looked so serious and genuine, Hinata actually paused for a moment to stare at him suspiciously. "I'm confused. Where is this coming from all of a sudden? _You_ want to coach _me_?"

"You... need coach..." Kageyama gripped his shoulders and gave them a wobbly squeeze. "I... bored, so I... coach you... starting t'morrow mr'ng..." He trailed off, his stomach making a loud rumbling sound akin to a clap of thunder. He held a shaking hand to his mouth, looking nauseous as he nearly fell against Hinata's shoulder. "St'mach... hurt... v'y bad."

" _Please_ tell me where you live," Hinata begged, feeling tears of panic prick his eyes. "I'm not qualified to deal with this! I'm freaking out here! Please give me your address, and even if you are my idol, don't you dare puke on me, either!"

"I— tir'd." Kageyama's full weight pressed down on him and Hinata barely managed to shrug it all onto his shoulders before he was crushed like a grape under a tire. " _Agh_ , why are you so _heavy_? Aren't you a figure skater?!" It was really no use complaining because Kageyama was completely knocked out, snoring quietly to himself on Hinata's back without a care in the world.

Hinata let out a long sigh, feeling conflicted for a moment before he finally made up his mind. "Okay... home it is." He hiked Kageyama's body higher on his back and hooked his arms under his knees, heading out of the alley and out onto the quiet street in the direction of his and Natsu's little apartment.

* * *

Morning already wasn't Kageyama favorite time, but having a hangover intensified his hatred of it by about 10,000%. His throat felt like the Sahara Desert had crawled into it to die, his head was pounding like a drum so hard his _skull_ hurt, and his stomach felt like a freshly-stirred cake-mix, which—despite what you may think—wasn't a nice feeling _at all_.

The only pleasant sensation was the warmth all around him and the cool air tickling his neck. _That redheaded dumbass must've taken me home... Huh. Guess he's good for something, after all. But... Yuka's totally going to kick my ass for getting drunk like this._

Cracking open a crusted eyelid with a sigh, Kageyama winced in the early-morning sunlight streaming through the window and pushed himself into a sitting position, groaning as his whole body ached in protest. _Wait... Sunlight?_ He stilled, confused. The window in his room was _always_ covered by a black curtain since he hated waking up early, so there was no possible way any sunlight could get through...

"Mmmm..." Kageyama heard something stir nearby and stiffened, feeling a jolt of terror spike through him like lightning. Jesus, where the hell am I? Did that dumbass leave me on the street to get kidnapped by a pervert?! I'm going to strangle him!

He only had five more seconds to freak out before a shape sat up, its blanket falling away to reveal a messy head of bright orange curls and droopy familiar chocolate eyes. Hinata's mouth opened in a wide yawn as he stretched his short arms above his head, the sleeves of his baggy shirt falling down around his armpits. "Ah... it's too early to get up." He flopped back down on the floor as Kageyama gaped at him in shock.

"Oi," he finally managed to croak, "dumbass, don't you _dare_ go to back to sleep until you explain to me what I'm doing in your house!"

"Oh, Kageyama, I see you've regained your attitude— I mean, _senses_." Hinata pushed his blanket all the way off and stood up to reveal loose Dragon Ball Z boxers and the same loose shirt that apparently read: 'I don't excel, I axel.' Kageyama looked away with a blush. "Idiot, what are you wearing? Why am I in your house? Why didn't you bring me home?"

Hinata glared at him, reaching over to pull on a pair of sweatpants that were discarded on the floor. "For your information, I tried to ask you last night, but you were too _wasted_ to answer. You just passed out on me so I had to bring you here." He puffed out his cheeks in annoyance. "I even let you sleep in my bed. You could at least thank me. Obviously, I've been idolizing the wrong person, you drunk jerk."

"Hey!" Kageyama let out an offended growl, but Hinata was right: He'd let Kageyama stay with him instead of leaving him there, so he had no right to yell at him. "Gah, _okay_ : I'm sorry!" He crossed his arms in embarrassment. "... and thank you for helping me."

"Aha!" Hinata's face broke into a wide smile. "You finally thanked me, hehe!" He finished getting dressed and wandered over to his closet, dragging out a black duffel bag that he started rummaging around in. "I guess I should thank you, too."

"Heh? Why?"

The redhead turned to look at him with an eye-roll as if what he was asking had a totally obvious answer. "Geez, did you really forget _everything_ that happened? You started bawling your eyes out in the restaurant and then offered to be my coach, remember?"

"What...?" For a long moment, Kageyama just sat there, processing what had been said. _You started bawling your eyes out in the restaurant and then offered to be my coach, remember? ...restaurant and then offered to be my coach, remember? ...offered to be my coach... coach..._

"EH?!"

* * *

 **A/N:** I'm sorry I haven't updated in so long guys! This chapter was pretty long though, so I hope you guys will forgive me ;-; Anyway, Kags has a bit of a 'drinks-when-under-pressure' issue lmao, and _of course_ I had to slide in that ice-skating pun on Hinata's shirt XD

Also, let me know what you all think of the overall flow of the story because I always seem to rush, which is something I constantly try to work on, so I would greatly appreciate hearing your opinions in the review section. As always, please follow and favorite to show your support to the story, and stay tuned for the next chapter~ ^-^

P.S., I didn't really edit this because I'm dead tired today, so comment any mistakes that need to be fixed if you want to help me out (人´д｀")


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